The 100th Anniversary of U.S. Naval Aviation

Someoneforyou

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2011
Messages
990
Likes
51
Naval Aviation Expands With Recent U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman Accomplishments
UNITED STATES - 11 FEBRUARY 2011

San Diego Festivities Kick Off a Nationwide Celebration to Commemorate the Centennial of Naval Aviation

CORONADO, Calif., Feb. 11, 2011 -- As the U.S. Navy begins today a year-long, nationwide celebration to commemorate naval aviation's first 100 years, two Northrop Grumman-produced (NYSE:NOC) Navy aircraft launched the next century of naval aviation with two key milestones.

On Feb. 3, the Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft successfully landed for the first time on the deck of an aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman. The Hawkeye represents a significant change in how the Navy will conduct battle management command and control in the future. On Feb. 4, a Navy and Northrop Grumman test team conducted the first flight of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

The X-47B will become the first tailless, autonomous strike fighter-sized unmanned aircraft to launch from and land on an aircraft carrier. On the contrail of these historic accomplishments, Northrop Grumman, in partnership with the Navy, the Centennial of Naval Aviation Foundation, and other companies, officially kicked off the Centennial of Naval Aviation celebration at North Island Naval Air Station this morning.

"Northrop Grumman has a long history with the Navy, and is honored to be a part of the Navy's 100th year anniversary," said Jim Zortman, sector vice president and site executive for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector in San Diego. "We have supplied the Navy with aircraft and technology for nearly as long as naval aviation programs have been in existence. And, with industry-firsts like those accomplished by the Navy and Northrop Grumman Advanced Hawkeye and UCAS-D teams, we remain committed to furthering technology to support naval aviation for the next 100 years."

Centennial of Naval Aviation festivities includes a static display at Naval Air Station North Island and a parade of flight over San Diego Bay that will feature 190 aircraft spanning the century of naval aviation. Led by the Blue Angels, the flyover will feature nearly 30 historic Navy war birds, including the Ryan Aeronautical Company's STM Ryan, and Grumman Aircraft Engineering Company's FM-2 Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, F8F Bearcat, TBM Avenger and the HU-16 Albatross. More than 160 aircraft in the current Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard inventory are also expected to fly in the tribute that will conclude with a flyby of more than 30 aircraft from carrier air wing 9 of the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group.

Several legacy, present-day and future aircraft will be displayed including unmanned systems such as the X-47B UCAS-D, RQ-4A Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator (BAMS-D), and MQ-8B Fire Scout, as well as the manned aircraft: the E-2C Hawkeye, C-2A Greyhound, F-5E Tiger II, F/A-18F Super Hornet, F/A-18C Hornet, EA-18G Growler, EA-6B Prowler, T-38 Talon, TBM Avenger and the HU-16 Albatross.

Northrop Grumman's partnership with the Navy is represented by more than 100 years of shipbuilding and nearly 80 years of leadership in designing, producing, delivering and sustaining some 26,000 Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.

"No company has delivered more aircraft to the naval aviation community than Northrop Grumman," Zortman added. "Our employees, both those who have served in the Navy and those who haven't, treasure the work they do and have done, to support the Navy's rich aviation heritage and duty to the American public."



The sun comes up over Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego on February 11, 2011, as the Centennial of Naval Aviation year-long celebration begins. The Avenger, built by the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Company, and first flown in 1941 will be just one of 190 aircraft featured during the Open House and Parade of Flight this weekend. Several legacy, present-day and future aircraft will be displayed including unmanned systems such as the X-47B UCAS, MQ-4A Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator (BAMS-D), and MQ-8B Fire Scout, as well as the manned aircraft: the E-2C Hawkeye, C-2A Greyhound, F-5E Tiger II, F/A-18F Super Hornet, F/A-18C Hornet, EA-18G Growler, EA-6B Prowler, T-38 Talon, Ryan Aeronautical Company's STM Ryan, and Grumman Aircraft Engineering Company's FM-2 Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, F8F Bearcat, TBM Avenger and the HU-16 Albatross. Northrop Grumman's partnership with the Navy is represented by more than 100 years of shipbuilding and nearly 80 years of leadership in designing, producing, delivering and sustaining some 26,000 Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.



The sun comes up over Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego on February 11, 2011, as the Centennial of Naval Aviation year-long celebration begins. The MQ-8B Fire Scout, built by Northrop Grumman Corporation, and first flown in 2002, will be just one of 190 aircraft featured during the Open House this weekend. Several legacy, present-day and future aircraft will be displayed including unmanned systems such as the X-47B UCAS, MQ-4A Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator (BAMS-D), and MQ-8B Fire Scout, as well as the manned aircraft: the E-2C Hawkeye, C-2A Greyhound, F-5E Tiger II, F/A-18F Super Hornet, F/A-18C Hornet, EA-18G Growler, EA-6B Prowler, T-38 Talon, Ryan Aeronautical Company's STM Ryan, and Grumman Aircraft Engineering Company's FM-2 Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, F8F Bearcat, TBM Avenger and the HU-16 Albatross. Northrop Grumman's partnership with the Navy is represented by more than 100 years of shipbuilding and nearly 80 years of leadership in designing, producing, delivering and sustaining some 26,000 Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.



The sun comes up over Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego on February 11, 2011, as the Centennial of Naval Aviation year-long celebration begins. The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D), built by Northrop Grumman Corporation, and first flown on February 4, 2011, will be just one of 190 aircraft featured during the Open House this weekend. Several legacy, present-day and future aircraft will be displayed including unmanned systems such as the X-47B UCAS, MQ-4A Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator (BAMS-D), and MQ-8B Fire Scout, as well as the manned aircraft: the E-2C Hawkeye, C-2A Greyhound, F-5E Tiger II, F/A-18F Super Hornet, F/A-18C Hornet, EA-18G Growler, EA-6B Prowler, T-38 Talon, Ryan Aeronautical Company's STM Ryan, and Grumman Aircraft Engineering Company's FM-2 Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, F8F Bearcat, TBM Avenger and the HU-16 Albatross. Northrop Grumman's partnership with the Navy is represented by more than 100 years of shipbuilding and nearly 80 years of leadership in designing, producing, delivering and sustaining some 26,000 Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.



Source: Northrop Grumman Corporation
 

Someoneforyou

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2011
Messages
990
Likes
51
VX-31 Dust Devils Celebrate Naval Aviation's Centennial With Retro-Painted F/A-18 Hornet

Throughout 2011, the Centennial of Naval Aviation (CONA) will be celebrated across the nation. Last year, Vice Admiral T.J. Kilcline, former commander of Naval Air Forces (CNAF) put the Navy's year-long celebration plan in context when he said, "By supporting this important milestone each organization's hard work will serve to honor tens of thousands of naval aviation personnel and their families spanning many generations." Rear Admiral Mat Winter, commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), challenged his military and civilian team members to honor the aircraft and the weapons that made them so successful in combat. Like many other Navy squadrons around the globe, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron THREE ONE (VX-31) painted one of its aircraft in a special commemorative paint scheme--one that pays homage to the rich heritage of NAWCWD China Lake, Ca., and the significant flight test contributions to our warfighting capability. "The entire China Lake workforce played a pivotal role in the history of naval aviation and we wanted to honor those achievements," said Cmdr. Brady Bartosh, VX-31 Commanding Officer. "The aircraft known as COSO 101 was chosen because it accumulated over 4,000 flight hours. The F/A-18 is the Navy's primary strike fighter aircraft, serving in combat operations over Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan."

Cmdr. Ian Anderson, VX-31 Executive Officer and military aviation history buff, researched China Lake's history for a design concept that would evoke this facility's rich heritage. "We focused on the 1960s," Anderson said, "which saw the development and introduction of innovative new weapons technologies that revolutionized air warfare and increased the combat potential of carrier aircraft during the Vietnam conflict and the Cold War." After settling on a design concept, Anderson contacted his longtime friend, Capt. Rich Dann, CONA Director of History and Outreach for CNAF. Dann is also a published aviation historian, artist and a recognized expert on naval aviation paint schemes. Based on Anderson's concept, Dann created a template that gave COSO 101 the look of a Douglas A-4C Skyhawk (China Lake's primary weapons test aircraft) as it appeared during the late 1950s through the mid-1960s.

Two months later, Chief Warrant Officer Chris Obenland and volunteers from VX-31's Contract Oversight Team put the plan into action. Chief Petty Officers Kenneth Smart and Paul Williams, along with Mr. Sean Corcoran, spray-painted the historic colors onto COSO 101. This is the second NAWCWD aircraft to receive a retro-paint scheme as part of the commemoration. A few months earlier, an S-3B Viking from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron THREE ZERO (VX-30) at Point Mugu, Ca., was painted to match the colors of the Navy's SBD "Dauntless" dive bombers that were flown during the Battle of Midway in 1942. Both NAWCWD squadrons reside within NAVAIR, led by Vice Adm. David Architzel.

On May 5, 1947, Armitage Field was commissioned under the official title U.S. Naval Air Facility (NAF), U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Station, Inyokern, Ca. Even in the late 1940s era of post-war drawdown, NAF operated nearly every carrier-based aircraft type, including the first wave of Navy jets.

From 1958 through 1969, China Lake's NAF Flight Test Branch developed and tested a wide array of new conventional weapons on A-4 Skyhawks. The Snakeye, Walleye and Rockeye bombs, and the Shrike anti-radiation missile tested here were all used in Vietnam.

In December 1976, China Lake's NAF aircraft and flight test mission were reorganized into the new Aircraft Department of the Naval Weapons Center Test and Evaluation Directorate. The Aircraft Department was disestablished in May 1995. Its personnel and functions were incorporated into the newly created Naval Weapons Test Squadron (NWTS) China Lake, part of Naval Test Wing Pacific. At that time, the iconic "Dust Devil" was adopted as the squadron logo and mascot. In 2002, NWTS was redesignated the VX-31 "Dust Devils."

This retro paint scheme is a great way to acknowledge our rich history and remind ourselves of the importance of what we do on a daily basis," said Cmdr. Bartosh. "As long as NAWCWD has such dedicated, talented artisans and relevant aircraft like COSO 101, naval aviation will continue to be the premier power projection enterprise as we move into our next 100 years of service."


Air Test and Evaluation Squadron THREE-ONE (VX-31) F/A-18 legacy Hornet awaits departure from the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, Ca. to join the kick-off celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviation (CONA) on Friday, Feb. 11 at Naval Air Station, North Island, Ca.
 

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top